Federal court rules against LOC in discrimination case

A federal court ruled Friday that the Library of Congress (LOC) discriminated against Diane Schroer when it did not hire the transsexual former Army Special Forces commander.

Schroer, formerly David, was offered the job as a terrorism research analyst with the LOC’s Congressional Research Service but was later denied the position when she announced her plans to live as a woman and go by the name Diane.

{mosads}“In refusing to hire Diane Schroer because her appearance and background did not comport with the decisionmaker’s sex stereotypes about how men and women should act and appear, and in response to Schroer’s decision to transition, legally, culturally, and physically, from male to female, the Library of Congress violated Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination,” wrote the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in its judgment on Friday.

The judge did not detail the penalties against the LOC but said he would do so later.

Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Administration committee, commended the court’s decision and called on the LOC to alter its hiring practices accordingly.

“It is of the highest importance to me to ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected and that equal employment opportunity is ensured,” Brady said. “These rights must above all be protected with respect to employment by congressional agencies.

“I applaud the Court's decision, which should serve as a wake-up call to organizations that fail to include gender identity in their employee non-discrimination policies. The Library of Congress should develop and implement immediate revisions to its existing policies to reflect the findings of this case, in addition to reaching a fair accommodation with Ms. Schroer,” Brady added.